Preview

Their Eyes Were Watching God Book Report

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1234 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Their Eyes Were Watching God Book Report
Destinee Mills
November 1, 2013
2nd Period
Their Eyes Were Watching This Book Report
Their eyes were watching god but your eyes will be watching, and be glued to, this book report. The novel Their Eyes Were Watching God written by Zora Neale Hurston is a captivating tale of a woman, Janie Crawford, who sets out on the path to actualize her womanhood and, in doing so, faces many trials and hardships. Some of the primary and most prominent themes in Their Eyes Were Watching God include body-image and anything relating to it; to include hair, body shape and size, skin tone, etc., love, and hedonism. Other, more minor and less conspicuous, themes in the novel include gossip, religion, and tragedy.
Summary of Content:
The novel begins as Janie …show more content…
Hurston portrays Janie as a very beautiful, desirable woman- shown in many different points in the novel such as when she arrives in Eatonville with Joe and men immediately begin to look at and even speak to her with desire. Unfortunately, though, Janie is often marginalized as a result of her beauty such as when Joe forces her to tie up her hair, making her look like an old woman , to take away from her beauty by removing from sight one of the main staples in making her so desirable- her long, swaying …show more content…
The author shows this when she shows Janie, time and time again, going against what would be the proper thing to do and instead just simply doing what makes her happy. Hurston very much so succeeded in portraying this thought process through Janie and the way that she made Janie react to things and situations that got in the way of her happiness. If there are any ideas worth expressing ‘do what makes you happy’ is one of them because without happiness what do we have in life? I thoroughly enjoyed this novel even though it was, in fact, quite difficult to read due to the fact that it is completely in Ebonics. I took joy in reading it despite that it is definitely a more education appropriate, less fun sort of novel. I chose it because I knew that it would show female strength and I was very satisfied in the novels ability to do this and to portray so many other important things. I would absolutely recommend this book to another reader but only if the particular reader was a strong reader since, as I said before, it is definitely not an easy book to read. I believe strongly in female strength and independence and I have never, in all my years of reading, found a book that so strongly supports and promotes those two beliefs. Female
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Their Eyes Were Watching God Study Guide
    • 927 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Their Eyes Were Watching God Study Guide

    or for commercial sale, is strictly prohibited. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, translated or stored…

    • 927 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Their Eyes Were Watching God Summary
    • 286 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Their Eyes Were Watching God Summary

    “The Kiss of Memory”: The Problem of Love in Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God is an analyzation of African American love that Hurston portrays throughout the novel. This focuses on the main character, Janie, and her third husband, Tea Cake. The article mainly covers the couple’s sexual desires, domestic violence when all hell breaks loose, and their jealousy towards others. Tracy Bealer (the article author) also analyzed racism within relationships, especially towards African American relationships.…

    • 286 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Rhetorical Analysis Essay Example for Their Eyes Were Watching God
    • 1762 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Rhetorical Analysis Essay Example for Their Eyes Were Watching God

    Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God is the story of one black woman’s attempt to realize her dreams and to achieve happiness in her life. Throughout the book, the reader follows Janie Woods as she travels from one man to the next and from one town to the next in search of happiness, freedom, and love. Janie abandons her first husband and the oppressive, conventional life that she lives with him in order to pursue a more stimulating, adventurous, and exciting one with Jody Sparks. With his big dreams for the future and his plans to build an “all-colored” town, Jody seems at first to…

    • 1762 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Rhetorical Analysis Of Janie Crawford, By Hurston
    • 946 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Rhetorical Analysis Of Janie Crawford, By Hurston

    The main character in Hurston’s novel, Janie Crawford, Janie’s hair is a symbol that portrays her individuality and resistance to the stereotypes that are intertwined in her society. As Janie begins to settle into her home in Eatonville, she is soon confronted by her husband, Jody, and the townspeople’s antithetical views about her proper role in society. In response to the constant critiques Janie receives for wearing her hair down, Jody demands that she begin to wear a head rag. After the next twenty monotonous years of Janie’s life, she begins to finally find her inner voice that had been suppressed by Jody’s…

    • 946 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Analysis Of Their Eyes Were Watching God By Hurston
    • 126 Words
    • 1 Page

    Analysis Of Their Eyes Were Watching God By Hurston

    “Mary Helen Washington On Hurston’s Failure To Create A Genuinely Liberated Female Voice” criticizes the feminist viewpoints on Hurston’s writing in Their Eyes Were Watching God. The article is interesting because it goes against all the feminist viewpoints out there about Janie being a strong, independent women. Instead, the author uses evidence from the book to point out that throughout the book Janie is pushed into the “female” role. Feminist writers see Janie as this empowering female character, whereas the author of the article sees Janie as a women being pushed down by her male counterparts. The author feels strongly about the feminist ideas, however she believes that Hurston saw Janie being pushed down for being a female rather than…

    • 126 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    There Eyes were watching god study guide
    • 2233 Words
    • 9 Pages

    There Eyes were watching god study guide

    The mood is that of jealousy. The people portray this by talking about Janie and disrespect her until she walks into earshot of them then they put a mask with a smile on…

    • 2233 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Their Eyes Were Watching God - Finding the Woman in Janie
    • 921 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Their Eyes Were Watching God - Finding the Woman in Janie

    Throughout the story Hurston uses different men to portray the continuum that men fall into in their society. Janie's marriage to Logan Killicks seems like the first stage in her development as a woman. She hopes that her forced marriage with Logan would end her loneliness and desire for love. Right from the beginning, the loneliness in the marriage shows up when Janie sees that his house feels like a "lonesome place like a stump in the middle of the woods where nobody had ever been" (Hurston 20). This description of Logan's house seems symbolic of the relationship they have. Janie eventually admits to Nanny that she still does not love Logan and cannot find anything to love about him. "She knew now that marriage did not make love. Janie's first dream was dead, so she became a woman" (Hurston 24). Janie's prayer seems like her final plea for a change in her life. She says, "Lawd, you know mah heart. Ah done de best Ah could do. De rest is left to you" (Hurston 23).…

    • 921 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston: Literary Analysis
    • 2357 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston: Literary Analysis

    There is a great amount of correlation between Janie’s life and Zora Neale Hurston's. They both were raised by their grandmothers because their mothers passed away. Additionally, Janie has close relationships with a white family during her time as a child, to the point where she does not even think that she is black. Another point of correlation is the fact that Janie left Logan for Joe. Despite Janie’s lack of a formal divorce, her marriage mirrors Hurston's in the fact that both marriages lasted only a short period of time and both left because their husband had little left to offer. The most influential correlation can be found in their perception on marriage and men. Dr.Charlotte Holmes is the Associate Professor of English & Women’s Studies at Pennsylvania State University. Dr.Holmes…

    • 2357 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Their Eyes Were Watching God Analysis Essay
    • 853 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Their Eyes Were Watching God Analysis Essay

    Not only did the men in Janie’s life oppress her self-growth and independence as a women, Janie’s grandmother, Nanny, was also another influential figure in Janie’s life who negatively shaped how she thought about marriage, gender stereotypes, and race. At a young age, Janie was lectured by Nanny when she tried to resist an arranged marriage to an older man, Logan Killicks. Nanny responded to her granddaughter’s refusal by slapping her and then telling her that "Honey, de white man is de ruler of everything as fur as Ah been able tuh find out. Maybe it's some place way off in de ocean where de black man is in power, but we don't know nothin' but what we see…De nigger woman is de mule uh de world so fur as Ah can see" (Hurston 14). This advice, which not only dismissed African-Americans as being equals to people of white decent, but also objectified women, specifically black women like Janie herself, stuck with her for many years of her life. Janie’s hesitation to assert herself sooner in her toxic relationship with Joe Starks can be primarily credited to Nanny’s advice and how that impacted Janie’s character. The cause and effect that Nanny had on her can be shown following the death of…

    • 853 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Their Eyes Were Watching God Character Analysis
    • 624 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Their Eyes Were Watching God Character Analysis

    The way he treats Janie causes conflict: “the reason for the marital conflicts between Janie and Jody is over who should control Janie 's thinking”( Bernard 6). Joe believes that Janie is incapable of thinking for herself and therefore he should make her decisions. Janie, on the other hand, sees herself as a person who can make her own choices. The power Joe holds over her hurts their marriage and takes away Janie’s individualism. Joe also sees Janie’s beauty as a threat to his ability to keep her submissive. “The visual image of her body can be the source of […] her strength”( Hozhabrsadat and Daram 2) Her light skin and straight hair give her an elevated role in the community, and the potential to leave him. To combat her beauty, Joe forces Janie to wear a headscarf, hiding the symbol of her feminine beauty. In doing so, Joe takes away another part of what makes Janie an individual. He stifles her, not allowing her to live as an independent woman. He stops her from finding her sense of self, which affects Janie later when she is finally given the chance to explore her true identity.…

    • 624 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Their Eyes Were Watching God Women Analysis
    • 1947 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Their Eyes Were Watching God Women Analysis

    In Zora Hurston’s novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, we get a look into the life of an African American woman who faces difficulties because of her race and sex. African American women at that time were at the bottom of society. They could not voice their opinion or express their ideas. Their job was to work and do what they are told. They were neither respected nor viewed as valuable to society. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie Crawford, despite her skin color and gender, is determined to achieve her goals. She goes on a journey of self-realization and is able to find herself in a few different ways. One way she approached the journey is by challenging the men in her life that are dominating and trying to control her. Another way she tries to find herself is through romance and sexual desire. She wants the freedom to love whoever she wants and be loved by them. She wants the type of love that is real and not controlling. Janie spends many years trying to find the love she desires from the men she marries. She goes through three relationships that test her strengths and ability to love. Lastly she will be able to find herself by finding her space. In most of her relationships she is prevented from exploring…

    • 1947 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Their Eyes Were Watching God Critical Analysis
    • 660 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Their Eyes Were Watching God Critical Analysis

    Zora Neale Hurston Portrays multiple sublime themes and ideas in her classic 1937 novel. Janie Crawford, the main character, desires love throughout her life in hopes to find the companion of her life to match the familiar ideal that love and successful relationships lead to true happiness. Through her relationships with Vergible “Tea Cake” Woods and Joe Starks she finally discovers a contradicting revelation that she feels genuinely satisfied alone. The accounts of these three characters help implement the theme throughout the…

    • 660 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Their Eyes Were Watching God Character Analysis
    • 2499 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Their Eyes Were Watching God Character Analysis

    In one scene, Hurston’s use of language and its power in expressing Janie's inner feelings is that in which Mayor Starks erects a new street lamp for the town. Janie and her husband first speak to each other using the recognizable black dialect of the region: "Well, honey, how yuh like bein' Mrs. Mayor?" "It's all right Ah reckon, but don't yuh think it keeps us in a kinda strain?" (74). The omniscient third-person narrator then captures Janie's feelings about the prospect of her new life as one of her husband's showpieces, like his new street lamp, in standard English: [a] feeling of coldness and fear took hold of her. She felt far away and lonely. Janie soon began to feel the impact of awe and envy against her, sensibilities. The wife of the Mayor was not just another woman as she supposed. She slept with authority and so she was part of it in the town mind. (74). She begins to realize that, although Joe offered her wealth in terms of material possessions and social status, he, like Logan, left her in utter spiritual poverty, thus ends another dream and another crush in Janie's self-development. Janie spent several years married to Jody in this state of turmoil, but slowly begins to break out of the clay shell that Starks has been molding her into. In time, her voice becomes more and more powerful, and Hurston develops this voice with both the speakerly text and…

    • 2499 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Beauty In Their Eyes Were Watching God
    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Beauty In Their Eyes Were Watching God

    After her first marriage did not work out Janie decided to get married to Joe who promised her that she would never have to work. That soon changed and Janie had to start working the store. A quote that stood out to me was, “Her hair was NOT going to show in the store. It didn’t seem sensible at all. That was because Joe never told Janie how jealous he was,” (Hurston 55). I feel like Joe had a right to be jealous of other men walking into the store talking about his wife. However, the way he went about the jealously I do not agree with. As a woman, I think that Janie should be able to show off her beauty to the world. Joe hiding her hair was a sense of…

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Their Eyes Were Watching God Character Analysis
    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Their Eyes Were Watching God Character Analysis

    Janie first did not understand what love meant to her, but at the age of 16 she came to know it because “That was before the golden dust of Pollen had beglamored his rags and her eyes” (Hurston 12). Hurston who compares the nature theme to natural born love shows readers that Janie fell in love with Johnny Taylor due to inexperience she had with identifying love. However, her unknown love does not stop there as her grandmother, who sees her approaching womanhood, persuades her to marry a man named Logan Killicks as an attempt to stop Janie from making the choice of just loving, but to obtain a sustainable future (Hurston 13). Janie discovers that her meaning of love differs from that of her grandmother and elderly because her grandmother who came from the slave period wanted Janie to achieve a marriage, which can provide for Janie’s needs in material value. On the other hand, Janie soon begins searching for her ideals of love by herself, as she knew “Even if Joe was not there waiting for her, the change was bound to do her good” (Hurston 32). Janie was through with the life her grandmother setup for her and instead wished to search for love even if she went in with no knowledge or experience of it. She did not care if Joe was there or not because her choice to leave the marriage was her own decision and would lead to her finding her independence. However, Joe was present and Janie allowed him to charm her back to her search for love. After the marriage with, was Janie’s last cold toe dip in searching for love as she accepts Tea Cake more hesitantly saying, “oh, Tea Cake, don’t make no false pretense wid me” (Hurston 109). A more experienced Janie learned not to rush in to love after finding out love does not work, as you want it…

    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics